Chapter 299: Kidnapped

Chapter 299: Taken Away

"Stop!" Cheng Ge suddenly turned, a fierce, severe expression appearing on his pale face for the first time.

His voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable authority that instantly silenced all the clamor.

The riled-up crowd was halted as if by an invisible barrier, frozen stiff, unable to move forward, only glaring with bloodshot eyes at the guards.

Several white-haired old women fell to their knees on the cold ground, kowtowing over and over to the sword-wielding guards, their foreheads quickly bruising as they pleaded sorrowfully:

"Honorable officers, have mercy—Lord Cheng is a good man... He is a good official... We beg you, let him go..."

Cheng Ge said nothing, but calmly extended his hands toward the guard holding the shackles—his wrists slender and pale.

Just as the iron chains were about to touch his hands, the chief guard, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke:

"Wait." His gaze fell on Cheng Ge, his tone a bit gentler than before.

"Lord Cheng is returning to the capital to cooperate with an investigation, not as a prisoner awaiting trial. No restraints are necessary."

The guard holding the shackles glanced at Cheng Ge with a complex look, then bowed and withdrew.

The chief guard stepped aside, making a gesture toward the prepared blue-curtained carriage.

Under the gaze of countless reluctant eyes, Cheng Ge straightened his white robe and bent down and climbed into the carriage.

The moment the curtain fell, the long-suppressed weeping and wailing outside erupted like a mountain collapsing, piercing the skies.

The carriage slowly began to move, its wheels rumbling over the wet bluestone streets of Yuanzhou.

From the Censorate entrance all the way to the city gates, both sides of the long street were densely packed with kneeling commoners.

Men, women, the elderly, even infants held in arms—none spoke aloud, only faint sobs filled the air.

…

The carriage jolted along the rugged official road. Cheng Ge leaned against the carriage wall, his face growing paler in the moving shadows.

At Huangming Gorge, the cliffs on both sides were steep, withered trees and gnarled branches obscuring the sky, casting large, ominous shadows.

Just as the procession reached the depths of the gorge, suddenly, everything changed!

"Whoosh—!" A signal arrow pierced the sky with a piercing shriek.

From the forests on both sides, dozens of masked men in black surged out, blades flashing like hungry wolves lying in ambush, charging straight at the procession!

Their attack was ruthless and precise, targeting the carriage carrying Cheng Ge!

"Protect Lord Cheng!" The chief guard, shocked and furious, shouted, drawing his sword to meet the enemy.

The narrow gorge instantly descended into chaotic battle, the sound of clashing weapons filling the air.

The black-clad men were numerous and fearless; though the guards fought desperately, their formation was soon shattered.

A black-clad man seized an opening, lunging toward the carriage, his steel blade gleaming coldly as he slashed at the carriage door!

Just at that critical moment—"Thrum!"

An arrow shot out from the dense forest on the side, swift and heavy, piercing the black-clad man's throat with deadly accuracy!

His forward momentum stopped abruptly, and he crashed to the ground.

Immediately after, hoofbeats thundered as a group of about twenty riders emerged from the other end of the gorge.

These men were dressed in mixed attire, like mountain refugees, but each moved with agility and riding skill.

They dove straight into the fight, their blades aimed at the black-clad men.

This sudden intervention caught both sides off guard. The black-clad men had clearly not expected a third party, and their formation started to break.

The guards, too, were filled with uncertainty, unsure whether the newcomers were friend or foe.

Inside the carriage, Cheng Ge was jolted by the violent shaking and the sounds of battle outside, his insides churning.

Just as he steadied himself against the carriage wall, his eyes met a pair of calm yet unfamiliar eyes.

"Lord, come with me!" The man said, showing a token.

Cheng Ge's eyes flickered with recognition, and he quickly followed the man out of the carriage.

A comrade who had come to assist raised his sword and held it to Cheng Ge's neck, then threw him face-down across the horse's back.

"Stop them! They're abducting Lord Cheng!" The chief guard roared in panic, charging forward.

The man slashed backhanded with his blade, quickly driving back two guards who tried to approach.

His men also closed ranks, forming a makeshift defensive ring, retreating while fighting their way toward the wooded slope on one side of the gorge.

"After them! Quickly!" The chief guard immediately organized the remaining guards and gave chase.

At a fork in the road, the forest turned even thicker.

The group suddenly split into several smaller bands, disappearing into different paths, their silhouettes swallowed by the deep shadows.

The chief guard and his men arrived at the spot, staring at the diverging paths, unsure which way they went.

The chief guard watched their retreating figures, then suddenly turned and yelled: "Split up and chase!"

The man led a few companions, guarding Cheng Ge, and galloped down a narrow mountain path.

Horseshoes trampled over dead branches and fallen leaves, producing urgent crunching sounds.

Cheng Ge lay over the horse's back, the violent jolts making it feel like his organs were shifting, the taste of blood rising in his throat.

He gritted his teeth and endured, instinctively turning his head to see where the pursuers were.

That turn brought his gaze directly into the eyes of the chief guard, who was staring fixedly at him.

He had personally led a small squad, dogging them stubbornly at a close but not too close distance.

Cheng Ge's heart clenched—just as he thought a bloody fight was unavoidable, he saw that the chief guard didn't look murderous at all.

Instead, in that instant their eyes met, the guard's eyes sharply scanned the companions left behind.

Then, he suddenly lifted his right hand, pointing to the northwest, the back of his hand outward, waving urgently.

The gesture clearly meant "get out of here fast".

Cheng Ge: "…………"

Cheng Ge quickly withdrew his gaze, hunched low, and barked at the man guiding them: “Northwest! Head northwest!”

At his words, the man yanked the reins hard, instantly veering into a hidden path toward the northwest.

The other guards followed without hesitation, moving as swiftly as the wind.

Once Cheng Ge and his men had completely vanished into the northwestern woods, the captain of the guards finally let out a sigh of relief.

He straightened his disheveled armor and said in a low voice to the men who had caught up with him:

“Report to His Majesty immediately: Lord Cheng was ambushed by vicious bandits at Huangming Gorge and has gone missing.”

The men were bewildered. “Aren’t we going to look for him?”

…

Cheng Ge’s party rode on without rest, galloping through winding mountain roads for nearly two hours.

Only after they were certain they had shaken off all possible spies did they slow down outside a quiet, remote little town.

Dusk had fully settled by then. They found an unremarkable inn and checked in.

Cheng Ge barely managed to drag himself into the room on sheer willpower.

The exhaustion of recent days, compounded by the violent jolting on horseback, had nearly drained him of all energy.

His face was ashen, his lips cracked, and even his breath came with a faint tremble.

No sooner had he pushed open the door than two familiar figures rushed toward him.

“Young master!!!”

Lü Rou, Ling Feng, and the others had been waiting there all along; their eyes instantly reddened at the sight of Cheng Ge in such a state.

Lü Rou quickly stepped forward to support his swaying frame. At her touch, she felt how ice-cold he was, and her heart ached even more.

“I’m fine…” Cheng Ge forced a reassuring smile, his voice weak. “A couple of days’ rest and I’ll be well.”

He planned to rest here for a short while to regain some strength before setting out to find Cui Ji.

Indeed, the party that had come to his aid at Huangming Gorge today was made up of Cui Ji’s trusted men, dispatched overnight after he caught wind of the situation.

It was just unclear how the news had leaked so quickly.